The Tangled Web - Chapter 1 - A Shoulder to Cry On

Chapter 1: July 1998 - A Shoulder to Cry On.A sister discovers just how close she and her married brother secretly want to be.This is the first Chapter in a comprehensive revision of a series I wrote under the male pseudonym JGUK years ago. In those days I was less confidant about my writing and thought a masculine name would reduce the amount of unwanted attention I would receive, particularly as the subject matter is something very close to my heart. I feel differently now and am re-publishing under the female name I should have used years ago. The Tangled Web is a continuing story spanning several years and is based on the complicated lives of a brother and sister and those they live with. Set mostly in the English Midlands , the tale is told through a series of interlocking short stories. Although designed to be read in sequence, I have tried to make each chapter stand as a complete and satisfying story in itself. I hope you enjoy it Jenny x"Midge! What's wrong?" A soft, familiar voice from behind her asked gently and a warm, reassuring hand fell lightly on her shoulder as Sam eased back the chair next to her and sat alongside. "Are you crying? You are crying!? He said softly as his long, comforting arm enveloped her shoulders. ?Come on! Tell me what's happened."Sara hardly responded. Her elbows remained on the table cloth, her hands over her face, her shoulders continued to shake. "I'm OK Sam." She eventually mumbled."I can clearly see you?re not OK." Replied Sam quietly, and placing his right hand lightly on Sara's forearm, he lowered it to the table forcing her to reveal her pale, mascara-streaked cheek. He turned her chair toward him, raised her chin with his fingertips to make her look him straight in the eyes and took both of her hands in his. His voice was soft and reassuring."Come on Midge, talk to big brother."The room around them was full of noise as the band played the usual tacky holiday tunes. The dance floor was full and the jasmine-scented Spanish night air was warm. A light breeze drifted in from the sea, across the beach and the woodland that surrounded the villas. It was a perfect romantic night.The holiday had been their parents' idea and until that day had been a good one, if you ignored David - and Sara really wanted to ignore David right now. Sara and Sam?s parents had been staying in their Spanish house over the summer months, and had invited Sara, her boyfriend David, her brother Sam and his wife Lynn to stay with them for a couple of weeks. The weather had been perfect, the sea warm and clear, and both couples had been able to spend as much time alone as they wanted.Sara and Sam had always been close. The age difference between them was just over one year and, although Sam had made great capital out of this when they were young, it had become less relevant as they became teenagers and at their current 'advanced' ages of 21 and 23, had been completely forgotten.In their very early years they had been treated almost as twins and as children had shared a bedroom in their tiny house for many years as their parents struggled to make a success of their business. Later, as the business had grown and the family had prospered, they had moved to a much bigger house and the kids had been given large, separate bedrooms with plenty of space to call their own.Both their mother and father had worked very long hours and, although loving parents, had not had much time for their children. As a result Sara and Sam had grown used to relying on each other and a special relationship had developed between them. Each had looked out for the other at school and at play and as a result, neither had comfortably adapted to the other?s boyfriends, girlfriends ? even Sam?s wife Lynn had found Sara difficult at first.They lived in a city in the English Midlands. Sara was a student at the local university, just about to finish her final year and, now her exams were over, was living with their parents again in an attempt to save money. She had many friends; in particular David, her şişli escort boyfriend of just over 18 months, and had spent as much time as lectures and tutorials allowed at the nearby sports club, membership of which was a perennial gift from their parents to both their children.Sam had always been the ?movie star? of the family. He was tall and dark and athletically built. Now with two weeks of Mediterranean tan he looked like a new arrival from Hollywood and Sara had noticed with amusement how he always attracted attention in public. He drew the admiring attentions of woman; he evoked feelings of envy and sometimes hostility in men. Sara wasn't sure it was a nice position to be in. Sam had graduated a year ago, and had been accepted on the Management Training Scheme for the large multi-national company that dominated their city. He lived in a newly-built flat with Lynn, his wife of over a year.Sam's wife Lynn was one of those women that other women pretend to hate but secretly envy. He had first met her at the sports club to which they all belonged. At that time she was working in the beauty salon attached to the club and had caught the eye of every man who entered. Even the gay ones admired her waist length blonde hair. Naturally blessed with breasts that would cost other women many thousands of pounds, she was tall and very slim and knew exactly how to dress to make the most of her figure. Sara had once thought ruefully that it didn't seem to matter that she had difficulty giving the right change and could barely identify Africa on a world map. Never mind, Sam could always help her as he helped her in so many other ways. Lynn and Sam were on the face of it a 'golden couple' attractive and apparently made for each other, but Sara had begun to suspect that all was not quite as it should be.Sara, on the other hand, had a certain 'girl next door' quality which no amount of gym sessions, hairdresser visits, clothes or make up could completely eliminate. Always in the top three students at school, she too was quite tall, and knew her fairly slim, toned body to be attractive if unremarkable. Her shoulder length brown hair was soft and glossy, but she had realized years ago that she wasn't going to be one of those girls who everybody stared after in the street. Her small breasts didn't help there, even now not requiring a bra. But she didn't give up. She trained regularly, swam regularly, read practically every women's magazine in existence and took care to try and make the most of her pleasant features.Her boyfriend David, she now believed, had probably been a mistake. They had been together for well over a year but things had not been going well recently. David was tall and dark like Sam and in moments of self-doubt Sara wondered if she had started 'going out' with him because of that resemblance to her brother. But that was where the resemblance ended. David was certainly intellectually much brighter than Sam, but lacked his confidence and felt the need to prove himself on an almost daily basis.Unusually well endowed, David?s his lovemaking had initially almost terrified Sara who was less sexually-oriented than he would have preferred and a lot less experienced than he had assumed. Sara often thought he confused size with sensitivity and although his extraordinary erection could certainly bring her to repeated orgasms, he was not a sensitive lover and her climaxes were often accompanied by pain. Consequently she could not bring herself to make love as frequently as David demanded and, as a result, there was often tension in their relationship.David also had a wandering eye. It had not taken long for Sara to see this and she did not like it. She was almost sure that David had had 'a fling' with at least one of her girl friends over the last year, and he certainly could not keep his eyes off Lynn , something that had become more and more obvious as the holiday had progressed.Sara had faced him with it tonight. The row had been brewing all day.When she had woken up that mecidiyeköy escort morning, there had been the sound of splashing from the pool outside. David routinely rose before her, but during this holiday he had often been missing for up to an hour before breakfast. This morning she had quietly descended the stairs and to her surprise had seen David on the covered patio, partly concealed behind a pillar, looking intently towards the pool. She had approached him silently and quickly realized that the object of all his intention was Lynn in her skin-tight one-piece costume doing her daily pre-breakfast 100 lengths of the pool. David was gazing across at her - staring in fact - and was keeping to the edge of the patio, apparently to avoid being seen. As he stared, he was doing something with his right arm, in front of his body.Sara, puzzled, moved forwards to get a better view. As she drew closer, her bare foot had made a sound on the tiled floor and David had spun round, pulling his hand instantly from down the front of his boxer shorts where his massive erection was bulging out. Disgusted, Sara had said nothing, turning away and walking back into the bedroom, but they both knew it was going to be impossible for her to pretend nothing had happened.Unsurprisingly, there had been an awkward atmosphere during the day. David had been distant, Sara had been cold and aloof with him, and she could not avoid feeling it was somehow partly Lynn 's fault too. It had been a relief therefore, when Sam had suggested going to the party at the beach bar that night. They had all eagerly agreed.After a hot day by the pool, it had been fun to get dressed up smartly. There was much deliberation over clothes ? from the boys as well as the girls ? but when they assembled on the villa?s terrace for pre-dinner drinks there was much satisfaction at the result. Both the girls wore short cocktail dresses ? in Lynn ?s case a silver one which was very short indeed and had both straightened their hair. Both wore high heels ? in Lynn ?s case killer heels that showed her long legs off to perfection. Sara ached inside when she saw just how good her sister-in-law looked but tried not to let it show. David?s jaw almost dropped open which didn?t help Sara?s mood.The boys were both in khaki trousers and bright summer shirts and looked gorgeous with their two-week tans. Sam?s shirt was unbuttoned just the right amount, David?s perhaps just a little too much but when they left for the beach bar restaurant they looked a million dollars.At first things had gone quite well. Pent up tension led to them all drinking perhaps a little too much too quickly and Sara could feel herself getting distinctly tipsy. She also felt strangely bolder and more confident - Dutch courage, she thought. Dinner had been good, although Lynn had eaten next to nothing, as usual, and the wine had flowed.As the coffee was served, the band began to play and the dancing started. They had danced as a group to the silly holiday dance routines, laughing at themselves despite the tension. Sam and Lynn had danced and Sara and Sam had danced - quite a lot because she was still so angry with David. David and Lynn had danced rather too closely for Sara?s comfort, after which she and David had danced a little stiffly together, Sara going back to their table when the slower music had begun and David had followed, a little worse for wear.As midnight approached, Sara and David had been sitting alone at their table, drinking water to cool themselves down. Sara noticed David's eyes fixed on the dance floor and looked across to see what was drawing his gaze so powerfully. She saw, as expected, Lynn in her tight, short silver dress gyrating to a powerful rhythm alongside her husband Sam whose shirt was now unbuttoned half way.To Sara?s extreme annoyance, David's eyes were fixed on Lynn 's smoothly covered behind. Sara could contain herself no longer. Taking a half full jug of Sangria in her hand, she threw it in David's face. He leapt backwards, şişli eskort knocking over his chair, and stood up, purple droplets falling from his hair, face and shirt."What was that for?" He gasped."You know, you bastard""No I don't! Tell me! Have you lost your mind?"And it had gone on from there. Sara had accused him of being unfaithful with her friends - which, she thought later, he had not actually denied - and had told him exactly what she thought of his Peeping Tom activities and of his ?jerking off? looking at Lynn. David, unable to deny the accusations, had chosen to try and blame her, her body and her ability in bed. Their raised voices brought silence to the tables near them, but the loud music ensured they made little impact on the dancing crowd."I hate you!" Sara finally breathed at David. She meant it too. "Just go away. I never want to see you again. Ever!" David had silently stood up, turned, and had left the party, his shirt dripping red as if he had been wounded. Sara had turned, placed her head in her hands, and tried nobly not to cry. Nobly but unsuccessfully. And that is how Sam had found her.Holding her hands in his, Sam had gradually coaxed some of the story out of his weeping and angry sister. Her distress was palpable and she frequently dissolved in renewed tears, but eventually the comfort of his presence had calmed her and she had told him all she felt able to. She had kept back the identity of the object of David's fantasies, and the nastier things her had said about her sexual performance, but in the end she was surprised just how much better it felt to have unburdened herself so fully to someone so close, someone who she knew would never hurt her.Sam held her close as she talked, and when she had finished, brought her a large Spanish brandy from the bar. As she sipped the thick, pungent liquid, it brought warmth to her insides and with it a determination to get over this row - a determination not to be defeated. In the candlelight, the colour gradually returned to her cheeks and Sam patted her knee affectionately. "Come on Midge!" he said, using the pet name they had known as long as she could remember. "Let's dance this off."Sara nodded and smiled, squeezing his hand then said "I'll be right back". Sam waited at their table while Sara went to the ladies' room to repair some of the damage the tears had done to her face. When she returned, her eyes were still slightly puffy and there was paleness beneath her tan, but she had become almost her normal self again, moving as gracefully as she could between the emptying tables and across the room towards her brother.As she approached him, he rose to take her hand and together they crossed to the packed dance floor. Wriggling their way past scores of half-drunk revellers, they at last found a small gap in the crowd and began to dance enthusiastically. To her surprise, Sara felt the music and motion quickly cheering her up, and as they danced, she felt the tension leave her body and the frown lines left her face.Tacky holiday Pop music was replaced by more involving dance anthems and the few remaining children in the room drifted away to bed. The crowd thinned and with more space around them, they could dance more freely, moving with the rhythm as the night went on. Sam had always known how to move, Sara thought, even in school discos he had been a great dancer and had never been short of female partners. She briefly wondered where Lynn had gone but was soon distracted as one of her favourite songs took over.Tired, but increasingly happy together, they remained on the dance floor as the music changed to a slow, romantic set. Sam gestured to his sister as if to ask whether she wanted to sit this one out, but instead she moved closer to him and placed her hands a little formally on his upper arms, beaming with pleasure. She felt his hands falling automatically to her waist and they danced close together - close enough to talk over the music."Where's Lynn ?" She asked in his ear."She went back with Mum and Dad. She saw how upset you were and left me to look after you.""So we're on our own then?""Yes. Do you want to go back now?""No way! I don't want to take the chance of seeing David tonight. Let's stay here.""My pleasure, Midge"And they had danced longer...